Straight Answers to the Real Questions

Yes. In California the vehicle owner picks the facility, and that holds whether you are filing on your own policy or on the other party liability coverage. A carrier can recommend a direct repair program shop, and some of those shops are good, but a recommendation is not a requirement. What matters more is whether the shop has pulled a laminated sidewall before. Tell the adjuster where the coach is going and we handle the estimate and the documentation from there.

Usually the impact zone, the panels immediately around it, and whatever photographs were already in the file. Most adjusters are generalists covering autos, homes and RVs, so they are working from a car damage mental model on a laminated structure. They rarely pull panels, measure the superstructure, or check the roof seam above the strike point. That is why an adjuster estimate and a teardown estimate on the same coach can differ by a factor of three. We supply the missing information rather than argue about the first number.

We tear the impact zone down, photograph the structure under controlled light, measure it against factory specification, and write a line item supplement with that evidence attached. The supplement goes to your adjuster as one package with part sourcing quotes included. Most carriers approve documented hidden damage because there is little left to dispute. We cannot promise an outcome, and we will not start structural work on money that has not been approved, but we can make the real scope impossible to overlook.

A supplement is a revision to an approved estimate covering damage that was not visible when the first number was written. On RVs they are close to unavoidable. Lamination separation spreads behind the skin, slide openings rack out of square, and roof seams open at the corner where nobody looked. The first estimate gets written from outside the coach, so real scope appears only after panels come off. A documented supplement carries photographs, measurements and part quotes. A verbal request for more money carries nothing.

It depends on repair cost against actual cash value and your carrier threshold, which typically sits somewhere between 70 and 80 percent. Appearance is a poor predictor. Coaches that look destroyed are often repairable because damage is concentrated in one cap, and coaches with modest visible damage sometimes total out because the structure behind the skin moved. We give you a straight repair number and a documented scope so you can evaluate the carrier position with real figures instead of a guess.

You can raise it, and on some parts you have real ground to stand on. Policy language varies, and many RV policies do permit aftermarket or non original parts on cosmetic items. Where we push back is on structural components and on anything in the water sealing path, because a cap or a slide seal that does not fit the opening correctly creates a leak path that will cost more than the part saved. We identify in writing which parts on your estimate are original equipment and which are not.

Only if the build is documented and itemized before the loss is valued. Carriers default to the base vehicle, so a Sprinter 170 with a full conversion gets valued as an empty cargo van unless somebody supplies the evidence. Bring receipts, the builder invoice, photographs of the finished interior, and appliance, inverter and lithium serial numbers. We itemize cabinetry, electrical, insulation, plumbing and appliances as separate line items with replacement costs attached, then submit that as part of the estimate package.

We bill direct with every major carrier including Progressive, GEICO, State Farm, AAA SoCal, Mercury, Allstate, Foremost, National General and Liberty Mutual. You are responsible for your deductible and for anything the carrier declines to cover, and both are spelled out before you authorize work. Insurance billed jobs may be written at carrier negotiated labor rates that differ from our posted retail rates, which we explain in plain language up front so there is no surprise at pickup.

Not necessarily, but the path forward depends on cause. Gradual sealant failure over several seasons genuinely is maintenance under most policy language. A specific event, a hailstorm, a branch strike, or a roof fan flange broken loose in a collision, is a different question. What decides it is evidence of a discrete cause and date. We survey the intrusion with moisture meters and thermal imaging, map the entry path, and report what the physical evidence shows without characterizing your coverage for you.

You do, and we tell you that before we touch a fastener. Teardown bills at our body labor rate of $210 per hour and the hours get estimated in writing at authorization. In practice most teardown time on an approved claim folds into the repair, and carriers routinely pay documented teardown even when scope changes. If a claim is denied outright, you own the teardown cost and you also own an accurate repair number, which has real value on its own.

Your claim number, the adjuster name and direct phone line, your declarations page, and any estimate the carrier has already written. Bring photographs taken at the scene if you have them, including wide shots that show the position of the vehicles. If there is a police report, bring the report number. For modified coaches bring receipts for solar, lithium, cabinetry and appliances. Registration and proof of ownership matter too, especially on a coach you bought recently.

Run the arithmetic against your deductible first. On a $1,000 deductible a $3,000 repair nets you $2,000, and you weigh that against the premium effect at renewal. Where filing usually makes sense on an RV is when visible damage sits over structure, because a $3,000 cosmetic guess can become a $14,000 repair once the panel comes off. Bring it in, let us look at it, and decide after you have a real number rather than an estimate from the parking lot.

At pickup, as part of the balance due. Your carrier issues payment for the approved repair minus the deductible, and the deductible is your portion of the same invoice. If your job also includes customer pay work outside the claim, betterment, or items the carrier declined, those land on the same final statement. Note that our 3.5 percent card surcharge applies to card payments over $1,000, so most owners settle the balance by check or bank transfer.

It is common and it is not fatal, but a photo estimate on an RV is a starting number rather than a scope. Photographs cannot show lamination separation spreading behind the skin, a slide opening racked out of square, or a roof seam opened at the corner. Expect a supplement. The useful move is getting the coach torn down and documented quickly so the revision happens in week one instead of week five, when it starts costing you calendar time.

Initial approval on a documented estimate typically runs three to ten business days. Supplements are the variable. A supplement submitted with teardown photographs, factory measurements and part quotes often clears in under a week. A supplement that requires a physical reinspection waits on the adjuster route schedule, which can add one to three weeks. Large structural claims sometimes route to a specialty desk or an independent appraiser, and those take longer. We chase them and we tell you where it is sitting.

Yes, and that is generally how it should work. Once you authorize us, we handle the estimate, the photograph package, the measurement records, the part sourcing quotes and every supplement directly with the adjuster. You get copied on what we send. There are two moments where the carrier will want you specifically: the initial coverage decision, and any settlement or total loss valuation, because those are contractual conversations between you and your insurer rather than the shop.

Ask for the valuation report and read how they built it. Total loss numbers on RVs get assembled from comparable listings, and comparables are frequently mismatched on floor plan, mileage, axle count or options. You can submit your own comparables, dealer listings, recent appraisals, and receipts for solar, lithium, suspension or interior work that raise value. We can supply a documented repair estimate and photographs of build quality. The negotiation is yours, and evidence is what moves it.

Actual cash value is replacement cost minus depreciation, which in practice means what a comparable unit sells for in your market today. Carriers build it from listings, guide values and sold data, then adjust for condition, mileage, hours and options. On a twelve year old trailer the number is often lower than owners expect because the market discounts age steeply. Agreed value policies avoid this by fixing the figure when you write the policy, which is worth asking your agent about.

No, that falls under comprehensive rather than collision, which usually means the same deductible structure but a different claim code. Break in damage runs across several trades at once: entry door frame and latch, window frame and glass, sometimes sidewall distortion at the pry point, and interior damage where they searched. We photograph and itemize each one so the estimate does not collapse into a single vague line. File a police report first, because most carriers require the report number.

Comprehensive, in almost every RV policy, and the same is true for hail and falling objects. The important part on a roof puncture is speed. Water tracks along the roof decking and down inside the sidewall within hours, so a $2,000 membrane patch becomes a $12,000 subfloor and wall rebuild if the coach sits three weeks waiting on an inspection. Tarp it, photograph everything before you cover it, and get it into a building.

Fault affects who pays and whether your premium moves at renewal. It does not usually affect whether the damage is covered, because collision coverage is first party coverage and does not require another vehicle. Low clearance strikes are one of the most common RV losses we see. The repair is rarely just the awning rail: the roof membrane tears at the termination, the front cap corner delaminates, and the roof to sidewall seam opens. All three belong in the estimate.

For a collision with another vehicle, get one if the police will write it, because a report fixes the facts before memories drift. For theft, vandalism or break in, you almost always need a report number and many carriers will not proceed without it. For single vehicle damage such as a low clearance strike or a parking lot backing incident, a report is usually unnecessary. Either way, photograph everything at the scene, including wide shots that establish position and surroundings.

Agreed value fixes the payout figure when the policy is written, so a total loss pays that number regardless of what the used market did. Actual cash value pays depreciated market value at the time of loss, which on a coach a few years old can sit far below what you paid. Agreed value costs more and usually requires an appraisal. It is worth it on custom builds, vintage restorations and heavily modified vans where market comparables do not exist.

No. The process does not really change by carrier size. We submit the same package: line item estimate, teardown photographs, factory measurement records, part sourcing quotes, and supplements with evidence attached. Small carriers and specialty insurers often route RV claims to an independent appraiser, which can actually help, because independent appraisers who cover RVs tend to understand laminated structure better than a general auto adjuster does. We work with them the same way and keep you copied.

That is between you and your carrier, and if there is a lienholder on the coach the answer is usually no, because lenders require repairs be completed. If you want to do part of the work, tell us and we will build the job in phases with structural and water sealing items first. What we will not do is sign a coach off as complete while a roof seam is still open. Deferring cosmetics is reasonable. Deferring a leak path is not.

Panels come off the impact zone first. Then wide shots that establish location, mid shots that show the assembly, and close shots with a scale reference on each damaged component. Structure gets measured against factory specification and the readings get recorded, not described. Laminated areas get tapped and thermally surveyed so the separation boundary is mapped instead of estimated. Part sourcing quotes with lead times get attached. The result is a file where every line item has a photograph behind it.

The mechanics are similar and the pressure is different, because a truck out of service costs you revenue daily. Third party liability claims move slower than first party claims, since the other carrier has to accept liability first. Many fleet owners file on their own physical damage coverage, get the truck back in service, and let the carriers subrogate. We can also stage the repair so downtime lands where it hurts least, and we document condition for your file.

It can, and it depends on fault, claim history and your carrier rating rules. Comprehensive claims for hail, theft or a falling branch typically carry less rating weight than an at fault collision. That said, deferring a real repair to protect a rate is usually a bad trade on an RV, because water intrusion compounds. A $3,000 roof repair that sits for two seasons becomes a subfloor and sidewall rebuild. Ask your agent how your specific policy is rated.

Body and paint labor is $210 per hour. Mechanical and electrical labor is $260 per hour. Diagnostics are $285 per hour with a one hour minimum, credited toward the repair if you proceed with us. Detail labor is $95 per hour. Materials bill separately: paint supplies at $55 per paint hour, body supplies at $5 per body hour, and a $45 flat hazmat fee. California does not tax labor, so sales tax at 7.75 percent applies only to parts and materials.

Because diagnostic hours produce information rather than parts installed, and the time gets spent by the technicians who cost the most to keep on staff. Tracing an intermittent 12 volt fault through a coach with a factory harness, a dealer installed inverter and two owners worth of aftermarket wiring is slow, methodical work with a meter and a wiring diagram. We charge $285 per hour with a one hour minimum and we credit that hour against the repair if you authorize work with us.

Collision estimates are by appointment and insurance walk ins are welcome. An RV systems estimate is $150 and that amount is credited to your repair. Diagnostics are one hour at $285, also credited. We charge for systems work because writing an honest scope on a slide, a roof or an electrical fault means putting a technician on the coach with tools, not walking around it with a clipboard. Collision teardown, where it is needed, gets quoted separately in writing before it starts.

Parts at $100 or less carry 100 percent markup. Parts over $100 carry 35 percent markup. Special order parts require a 100 percent non refundable deposit, because RV components are frequently model year specific and not returnable once the manufacturer ships them. Sales tax at 7.75 percent applies to parts. Those numbers appear on every estimate as line items, and you can see the supplier quote and the lead time for anything significant we order on your job.

On jobs over $2,000 we collect 50 percent at authorization. On jobs over $10,000 we collect an additional 25 percent when parts arrive, and the balance is due at pickup. Special order parts require a 100 percent non refundable deposit on the part itself, because those components are not returnable. On insurance work the carrier payment usually covers the deposit position, so what you bring at authorization is often just your deductible.

Yes, with one thing to know: card payments over $1,000 carry a 3.5 percent surcharge, which on a $20,000 balance is $700. Most owners pay deposits by card and settle the larger balance by check, cashier check or bank transfer to avoid the surcharge. Insurance drafts are accepted, and if your carrier issues a two party check we walk you through the endorsement. Everything is itemized on the final invoice with labor, parts, materials and tax broken out.

No. Repair labor is not subject to California sales tax. Tax at 7.75 percent applies to parts and to materials such as paint and body supplies. That is why a $30,000 refinish invoice carries a smaller tax line than people expect: the majority of that number is booth and prep hours, not product. It also means comparing two estimates requires looking at how each one splits labor and material, because a shop that buries material inside a labor rate looks cheaper than it is.

Paint supplies bill at $55 per paint hour, so the material charge scales with actual booth and prep time on your job rather than being a guessed flat number. Body supplies bill at $5 per body hour. A hazmat fee of $45 applies once per job. Both material lines are taxable at 7.75 percent. On a full coach refinish running 120 paint hours that is $6,600 of paint material, which is realistic for the volume of primer, sealer, base and clear a 40 foot coach consumes.

It is a $45 flat charge per job covering compliant disposal of what a body and paint shop generates: solvent, gun wash, contaminated filters, sanding residue, spent sealant and used fluids. We hold EPA identification number CAL000367879 and California Bureau of Automotive Repair registration ARD00288521, and both carry documentation and disposal obligations that cost money to satisfy. It is one line, it does not scale with job size, and it appears on the invoice rather than hiding inside a labor rate.

Sometimes, and we will tell you plainly when it is a bad idea. Owner supplied appliances, fans, awning fabric and similar bolt on items are usually workable. We install them, we bill labor, and we stand behind our installation, but the part itself is on you if it fails or arrives wrong. Where we decline is structural components, adhesives, laminates, sealants and anything in the water sealing path, because we cannot vouch for a bond line built from a product we did not specify.

Surface area and access. A 40 foot Class A carries roughly six to eight times the paintable area of a sedan, and none of it is a removable panel you can hang on a rack. Masking a coach means the roof, windows, awning rails, slide seals, marker lights, graphics and every sidewall penetration. Then there is substrate: gelcoat and laminated fiberglass need different prep than sheet metal. Add multi stage graphics replication, and 120 paint hours at $210 plus $55 material is what it costs.

Full refinish runs $5,000 to $35,000 and up. A 24 foot Class C in a single stage color with simple graphics lands near the bottom. A 43 foot diesel pusher in a multi stage metallic with four color airbrushed graphics lands at the top or past it. The variables are length, number of colors, graphic complexity, how much substrate repair the coach needs first, and whether the roof gets coated. Color match blending on a partial repair is separate at $500 to $5,000 and up.

Flooring and subfloor work runs $500 to $8,500, and broader water damage repair runs $750 to $15,000 and up. What sets the number is how far the moisture traveled. A single soft spot at the entry door, caught early, is a localized panel replacement. A soft floor running from the door to the slide usually means the lower sidewall, the outriggers and often the wall framing are involved. We map it with a moisture grid and thermal imaging before quoting so the number holds.

Mechanism work is $500 to $8,500 and up depending on system: a Schwintek motor and controller sits low in that band, a hydraulic ram and pump on a large living room slide sits high. Seals run $400 to $3,000. Toppers run $450 to $1,800. A full slide room rebuild, where the floor or the face has water damage, runs $1,500 to $7,500. Most slide complaints we see are alignment and timing rather than a failed motor, which is why diagnosis comes first.

Membrane replacement runs $3,500 to $18,000 and up. The spread is length, how many penetrations get reflashed, and how much decking has to be replaced underneath. A 26 foot trailer with sound decking and four penetrations sits near the bottom. A 40 foot coach with two air conditioners, three vents, a skylight, a satellite dome and soft decking over the slide sits near the top. Recoat and reseal, where the membrane itself is still sound, runs $750 to $4,500 and up.

Fiberglass cap repair runs $750 to $12,000. Cap replacement runs $4,500 to $25,000 and up. Repair wins when the laminate is cracked but the substrate and the structure behind it are intact, because a properly ground, layered and refinished repair is invisible and strong. Replacement wins when the cap is shattered across a compound curve, when mounting flanges are torn, or when structure behind it moved. Molded caps are also model year specific, so availability sometimes decides the question for us.

Delamination repair runs $1,500 to $20,000 and up. A small bubble on a slide face, injected and clamped, is a low four figure job. A sidewall where separation runs from the roof line to the belly molding across two window openings means the outer skin comes off, the substrate gets replaced, the wall gets relaminated under pressure and the whole side gets refinished. That is the top of the band. We map the boundary by tapping and thermal survey before quoting, not by eye.

RV windshield replacement runs $2,500 to $7,500 installed. One piece and two piece Class A glass is a low volume item, often model specific, and it is bonded and gasketed into a structure that has to be square before the glass goes in. On a coach that has been in a front end collision we measure and correct the opening first, because setting new glass in a racked opening is how you get a stress crack in six weeks and a leak in twelve.

Yes, and we will tell you what order makes engineering sense rather than what makes the invoice smallest. Structure and water sealing go first, always, because both compound if you defer them. Cosmetics, interior and comfort items can wait. We will write the job in phases with real numbers on each phase so you can plan across two seasons. What we will not do is close a coach up with an open leak path and call that phase complete.

Because the first number was written from outside the vehicle and the second was written from inside it. On a laminated structure the visible damage is typically ten to forty percent of the total. What surfaces at teardown is separation spreading past the strike point, superstructure tubing bent behind sound looking skin, racked slide openings, and roof seams opened at the corner. Nobody sees those through a panel. That is exactly why we tear down before finalizing a plan rather than after.

Fabric alone runs $400 to $2,500 depending on length, whether it is vinyl or acrylic, and whether it is a patio, window or slide topper unit. Arm and motor work runs $500 to $3,500, which is where a powered awning with a damaged roller tube, gearbox or control board lands. Slide toppers run $450 to $1,800. If the awning tore because an arm ripped out in wind, budget for sidewall repair too, because the mounting rail usually takes wall structure with it.

Solar systems run $1,500 to $12,000 and up. Battery work runs $500 to $5,500 and inverters run $750 to $4,500. A 400 watt roof array with a modest controller feeding existing lead acid batteries is a low four figure job. A 1,200 watt array with a 600 amp hour lithium bank, a 3,000 watt inverter charger, a DC to DC charger from the alternator and a new distribution panel is the top of that range. Electrical labor bills at $260 per hour.

The $150 RV systems estimate and the $285 diagnostic hour are credited only if you proceed with us. If you take the estimate elsewhere those charges stand, because a technician spent that time on your coach. Collision estimates by appointment do not carry that charge. If teardown was required to write the scope, teardown labor at $210 per hour is billable whether or not you proceed, and we quote those hours in writing before we start.

We are a repair facility, not a lender, so we do not carry paper in house. Our structure is 50 percent at authorization on jobs over $2,000, an additional 25 percent when parts arrive on jobs over $10,000, and the balance at pickup. Many owners use a home equity line, a credit union RV loan or a card, keeping the 3.5 percent surcharge over $1,000 in mind. We will also phase a large job across two seasons so the spend lands where you can carry it.

Minor single panel cosmetic work is typically one to two weeks. Moderate multi panel damage with paint blending is three to six weeks. Major structural work with a cap replacement is eight to twenty weeks, and parts availability drives most of that. Systems work is shorter: a slide mechanism is usually days, a roof membrane one to three weeks, a full refinish three to six weeks of prep and booth time. You get a written date at authorization and an update whenever it moves.

Because the volumes are tiny. A manufacturer might have built four hundred units of your floor plan in your model year, so molded caps, tinted windows, slide fascia and cabinet doors are made to order rather than stocked. Some suppliers batch production quarterly. Molded fiberglass caps commonly run six to fourteen weeks and we have seen longer. We order long lead items the day scope is approved and we give you the quoted lead time in writing rather than guessing at it.

Sometimes, and it depends where the job is. If the coach is buttoned up waiting on a backordered part and the systems are functional, we can often release it and bring it back when the part lands. If the roof is open, the sidewall is off, the slide is out of the opening or the coach is in paint, the answer is no, because moving it in that state causes damage. Tell us your trip dates at authorization and we sequence around them where we can.

It moves with the season. Spring, roughly February through May, is our heaviest intake because everybody wants the coach ready before summer, and appointments for non urgent work can run two to five weeks out. Late fall and winter are usually shorter. Collision intake is different: if a coach is not safe or not weather tight, we get eyes on it the same week regardless of the calendar, because letting an open roof sit is how a repair doubles in cost.

Generally yes. From October through January our intake is lighter, scheduling is easier, and long lead parts have time to arrive without eating your travel season. Southern California weather does not shut a shop down, so there is no seasonal quality tradeoff here the way there is in colder states. If you are planning discretionary work, a repaint, an interior remodel, a solar build or a roof replacement, booking it for late fall is the easiest way to shorten your wait.

Yes, and many owners do. We need a reliable phone number and email for approvals, because a job stalls fast when a supplement or a parts substitution needs an answer and nobody is reachable. Give us written authorization limits so we can keep moving on decisions under a set dollar figure. Clear out valuables and personal items before you go, leave a spare key with us, and note any slide or leveling quirks we should know about.

It stays on our property in Yorba Linda while it is an active job, which is normal on a backordered cap or a made to order window. We are a 35,000 square foot repair facility, not a storage yard, so if a job goes dormant for a long stretch because a part has no ship date or a claim is stalled, we will talk with you about pulling it out and bringing it back when the part lands. That conversation happens early, not as a surprise.

Yes. You get a written target date at authorization, built from labor hours, booth availability and the quoted lead time on every ordered part. When it moves, and on large structural jobs it usually moves at least once, you hear what changed and what the new date is. The two things that move dates most are supplement approval and a part that ships later than the supplier quoted. We would rather give you an honest revision than a comfortable fiction.

Three things, in order. Parts, especially molded caps, model specific glass and discontinued components. Carrier approval, particularly a supplement that requires a reinspection and has to wait on an adjuster route. And scope changes that surface mid repair, usually water damage found once a wall is open. Labor availability is almost never the constraint. That order is why we front load teardown and documentation, because getting real scope and the parts order into week one saves weeks at the back end.

We can compress the parts of the calendar we control and we cannot compress the parts we do not. Overtime, staged booth time and running body and mechanical work in parallel can pull a schedule in meaningfully. What no shop can shorten is a fourteen week cap lead time, a cure window for adhesive or paint, or an adjuster reinspection queue. If you have a hard date, say so at intake and we will tell you honestly whether it is reachable.

Typically three to six days in the shop. Most of that is prep and cure rather than application. Old sealant has to be cut out of every penetration, the surface has to be cleaned and primed, reflashing at the vents, air conditioners and skylight goes in, and each coating layer needs its cure window before the next one. Rushing cure time is exactly how a recoat fails within a season. Recoat and reseal runs $750 to $4,500 and up.

Three to six weeks for a full coach refinish, and length drives it more than anything else. Masking alone on a 40 foot Class A runs a full day or more. Then prep and substrate correction, primer and sealer with cure time between stages, base, clear, graphics replication, and cut and polish. A partial repair with a blend is much shorter, often four to eight days. Booth scheduling matters too, because a 45 foot coach occupies the bay for the whole cycle.

We are open Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Saturday 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM. We are closed Sunday. Saturday is a good window for drop offs, pickups and walkthroughs, and it is often easier for owners coming up from San Clemente, which is about a 45 minute drive via the I-5 or the 73. Collision estimates are by appointment, so call ahead at (949) 799-3387. Insurance walk ins are welcome any day we are open.

Saturday is a working day here from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM, and on a job with a hard deadline we will schedule production hours rather than only counter time. Sunday we are closed. Overtime does help on labor driven work such as prep, assembly and interior. It does nothing for cure windows, which are chemistry, or for a part sitting on a container ship. We tell you which category your remaining work falls into before you count on a weekend push.

Plan on three to six hours on the vehicle, and a full day if the coach is large or heavily modified. That covers a moisture survey of roof, sidewalls and floor with meters and thermal imaging, sealant condition at every penetration, slide operation and timing, appliance function, electrical under load, tank and plumbing pressure checks, tire dates, and brake and suspension inspection. You get a written report with photographs. Inspections run $400 to $1,200 depending on size and scope.

No. The property is an active body and paint facility with welding, sanding, solvent and lifted vehicles, and it is not set up or permitted for overnight occupancy. During the day, if the job is minor and confined, you can often wait onsite. For anything structural the coach will spend days at a time with the interior open, panels off or sealed in the booth, and it will not be habitable. Plan lodging before you commit to a large repair.

For a straightforward collision estimate, usually one to three business days. For an RV systems estimate at $150, credited to the repair, typically two to four days depending on how much testing the complaint requires. Diagnostics run one hour minimum at $285, also credited. It takes longer when teardown is needed to see actual scope, which adds several days but produces a number that holds instead of one that gets revised twice.

We inspect every part on arrival before it goes near your coach, which is why we photograph inbound freight on large items such as caps and glass. If it is damaged in transit we file with the freight carrier and reorder the same day. If the supplier shipped the wrong component, we reorder and absorb the coordination time. Either way you hear about it that day and you get a revised date, because a damaged molded cap can add six weeks to a job.

We are at 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887, in a 35,000 square foot facility. From San Clemente it is about 45 minutes, either up the I-5 or the 73 toward the 91 corridor. We are not in San Clemente and we do not claim to be, because a coach that needs a frame rack, a downdraft booth and lift capacity has to come to the equipment. Most owners drive up once for intake and once for pickup.

Up to 45 feet, including tag axle diesel pushers, and the paint booth is deep enough to take that length as one unit rather than in halves. We have yard depth for a truck and 41 foot fifth wheel combination to maneuver without unhitching in the street. Height clearance handles high profile coaches with rooftop air conditioners and satellite domes. If you are unsure whether your combination fits, call with length, height and axle configuration and we will tell you before you drive up.

We are a specialty RV, van, trailer and truck facility, so we do not take passenger cars, motorcycles, boats or powersports. We do not offer mobile or roadside service of any kind. We do not perform chassis engine overhauls on diesel pushers, which belong at a Freightliner or Spartan service center. We also decline jobs where an owner wants structural or water sealing work done with parts and adhesives we cannot verify. Everything else on a house on wheels is in scope.

You can come see it, and we encourage it at the two points where it matters most: after teardown, when the structure is exposed and real scope is visible, and at final inspection before pickup. Call ahead so somebody can walk you through the bay safely. What you cannot do is stand in an active work area unescorted or be present during booth operations, because respirator and containment requirements are not optional. We also send photographs at milestones if you cannot come up.

Chalking with an intact membrane and cracked sealant is a recoat and reseal candidate at $750 to $4,500 and up. Replacement is the answer when the membrane has shrunk away from a termination bar, when there are punctures or tears, or when the decking underneath has soft spots, and that runs $3,500 to $18,000 and up. The deciding test is the decking, not the surface. We walk it, probe it and moisture meter it, because coating over soft decking only buys a season.

Delamination is the outer fiberglass skin separating from the luan and foam substrate behind it, usually because water got into the bond line or an impact broke it. It looks like a bubble, a ripple or a soft spot, and it spreads outward over months. Small early separations can be injected with adhesive and vacuum clamped, which is genuinely durable. Once the substrate itself is wet or crushed, injection just glues skin to mush. We map the boundary by tapping and thermal survey first.

Usually one of four things. The room is out of time, so one side leads the other and binds in the opening. The rack and pinion or Schwintek gear teeth are worn or contaminated. The opening itself is out of square, which is common after an impact or on a coach parked unlevel for years. Or the floor of the room has taken on water and the room now sags and weighs more. Diagnosis comes first, because three of those four are not motor problems.

Extended is when the outer wiper seal is doing all the work and the bulb seal is not compressed. So a leak in that position points at the wiper seal, the top of the slide box, or a topper dumping water into the seal instead of past it. It also points at slide alignment, because a room sitting a quarter inch low on one side leaves a gap the wiper cannot bridge. Seals run $400 to $3,000 and toppers $450 to $1,800.

Trust your hands and your nose before your eyes. Press the walls below every window and around the entry door, walk the floor barefoot feeling for flex, and check the corners of slide floors. A musty smell in a closed coach is water, not age. Look for wallpaper seams lifting, screw heads dimpling through paneling, and ceiling stains at the roof to wall seam. Then get a moisture survey, because meters and thermal imaging routinely find intrusion two to three times larger than the visible stain.

Almost always at a penetration, not in the membrane field. The usual suspects are the roof to front cap seam, the termination bar along the sidewall top edge, air conditioner and vent flanges, the refrigerator roof vent, awning rail fasteners, marker lights, the entry door frame, and the slide out top edge. Water enters high, travels along framing or decking, and appears somewhere else entirely, which is why chasing the stain is the wrong move. We find the entry with a hose test and a survey.

That pattern almost always points at fuel delivery or a safety circuit rather than ignition. On an Onan the usual causes are a plugged fuel filter, a failing fuel pump, stale ethanol fuel that has varnished the carburetor, low oil pressure tripping the shutdown, or a fault in the control board. On a coach that sits, varnished fuel is the leading cause by a wide margin. Diagnosis is one hour at $285, credited, and generator work runs $400 to $8,500 and up.

That isolates the fault to the LP side, which is good news, because the cooling unit itself is proving out on the electric element. Likely causes are a dirty or misaligned burner orifice, spider webs in the burner tube, a weak igniter or bad electrode gap, a failed gas valve, or low LP pressure at the regulator. Soot around the burner box tells you a lot. Appliance work runs $400 to $4,500, and we test regulator pressure as part of any LP complaint.

Start with airflow, not refrigerant. A packed return filter, crushed or disconnected ducting, a leaking plenum divider that lets supply air recirculate, or a dirty condenser coil will each produce exactly this complaint. After that, check the capacitor and the fan motor, then measure the temperature split across the evaporator. Rooftop units are sealed systems, so a genuine refrigerant loss usually means replacement rather than a recharge. Air conditioning work runs $750 to $4,500 depending on unit and ducting.

That sequence, blower spinning and a click with no burn, points at the ignition and gas train. Common causes are a failed sail switch that never proves airflow, a dirty or cracked igniter, a bad gas valve, low LP pressure, or a limit switch opening because return air is restricted. Restricted return is the one owners miss, and it is often a blocked floor register or a crushed duct. Furnace work runs $350 to $2,500 and we pressure test the LP system as part of it.

On a hydraulic system the usual culprits are low fluid, a failed pump or solenoid, a stuck retract valve, or a leaking cylinder that lets a jack settle. On an electric system it is typically a motor, a limit switch or a controller fault. There is also a common non failure: many systems will not retract until the ignition, parking brake and door interlocks are satisfied. Leveling work runs $350 to $6,500 and up. Do not crawl under a coach on jacks to investigate.

Three candidates. The batteries are sulfated and at end of life, which on flooded lead acid is three to five years in this climate. The converter or charger never reaches absorption voltage, so they have never been fully charged. Or a parasitic draw is pulling current all night, commonly a propane detector, an inverter left in standby, a stereo memory circuit or a stuck relay. We load test, measure charge voltage and clamp for draw. Battery work runs $500 to $5,500.

It is, if you dry camp or run an inverter hard. Lithium delivers nearly all of its rated capacity instead of half, charges much faster, weighs less and lasts far longer in cycles. The catch is that it is a system change, not a battery swap. You usually need a lithium profile converter, often a DC to DC charger from the alternator, correct low temperature charge protection, and appropriate cabling and fusing. Done properly it runs $500 to $5,500 on batteries plus supporting equipment.

More than most roofs hold, honestly. A single 13,500 BTU rooftop unit draws roughly 1,200 to 1,500 watts running, with a much higher startup surge. Running it a few hours a day means something like 1,000 to 1,400 watts of panel, a 400 to 600 amp hour lithium bank, and a 3,000 watt inverter with a soft start on the compressor. That is achievable and it sits at the top of the $1,500 to $12,000 solar band. For overnight cooling, a generator is still the practical answer.

That is a sensor fouling problem far more often than a tank problem. The probes mount through the tank wall and read residue clinging to them, so a film of grease and paper reads as liquid forever. Cleaning with a spinning tank wand and an enzyme treatment clears most of them. When probes are corroded or the harness is damaged we replace them, and external ultrasonic senders are a good retrofit. Tank work runs $750 to $8,500 depending on access.

Locate the drip before ordering anything. A drip from the pressure relief valve is often thermal expansion and a valve that needs replacement. A drip from the drain plug boss is a gasket or a corroded threaded fitting. A drip from the tank seam itself, or from a rusted through flange, means the tank is finished and replacement is the only path. Also check whether the anode rod has been consumed, because a missing anode is what kills these tanks. Water heater work runs $350 to $4,500.

Often yes, at $400 to $2,500 depending on length and material. What we check first is the arms, the roller tube and the mounting rail, because fabric that tore in wind usually did so after an arm loaded up. A bent roller tube will shred new fabric within a season. If the arm ripped out of the sidewall, the rail took wall structure with it and that repair comes before new fabric goes on. Arm and motor work runs $500 to $3,500.

Yes, with a caveat about honesty. Fifteen years of Southern California sun fades and chalks gelcoat unevenly, so matching the factory formula gives you a panel that looks visibly newer than the ones beside it. We read the actual aged surface with a spectrophotometer, spray out test panels, and blend into adjacent panels rather than stopping at a body line. Original decals are usually discontinued, so we replicate them from photographs and measurements. Color match blending runs $500 to $5,000 and up.

Yes. Trailer frame welding runs $750 to $20,000 and up and covers A frame and coupler damage, bent or cracked outriggers, sagging rear frame sections behind the axles, and full main rail sectioning. We measure against factory specification before and after, correct geometry on a rack rather than by heat and hope, and weld to the base metal specification whether that is steel or aluminum. Frame damage on a trailer usually racked the body too, so we check sidewalls and slide openings.

A full seal inspection with reseal of any failing penetration, roof condition and coating check, LP system pressure test and appliance operation, slide lubrication and timing check, seal condition, tank and plumbing check, battery load test and charge voltage measurement, generator service including oil and filters, air conditioning coil and filter service, tire date and pressure check, and brake and bearing inspection on towables. Annual maintenance runs $400 to $2,500. Sealant is the highest value item on that list by a wide margin.

It accelerates everything. Salt fog corrodes aluminum siding fasteners and window frames, pits chrome and polished aluminum, attacks steel frame members and brake hardware, and degrades sealant faster than inland exposure. Coastal storage also means constant marine layer humidity, which keeps any existing intrusion wet year round instead of letting it dry. Owners within a couple of miles of the water should reseal on a shorter interval, rinse the underside regularly, and get a moisture survey annually rather than every few years.

Yes. Interior remodel runs $1,500 to $50,000 and up depending on how far you take it. That covers flooring, cabinetry refacing or full custom builds, upholstery and dinette conversions, wall panel and headliner replacement, countertops, lighting and appliance updates. We fabricate cabinetry in house, which matters on a coach because nothing is a standard dimension and everything has to survive road vibration. Headliner and wall panel work runs $500 to $5,500 and flooring $500 to $8,500 as separate lines.

Yes. Cargo Sprinters, passenger vans, shuttle and crew configurations, upfitted service vans and box body Sprinters all come through here. Van collision work runs $1,500 to $40,000 and up and covers sliding door and track damage, rear door and hinge pillar repair, rocker and quarter panel work, roof damage, and structural correction on the unibody. Body and paint labor is $210 per hour. What we do not do is Mercedes powertrain diagnostics or engine repair, which belongs at a Sprinter service center.

Usually yes, and the fix lives in the track and the opening rather than the door itself. A side impact bends the lower track, tweaks the center hinge roller bracket, or pushes the B pillar in enough that the door no longer follows its arc. We measure the opening, straighten or replace the track, reset the roller assemblies, and adjust the striker and latch so the seal compresses evenly. Guessing at adjustment without measuring the opening is how a door leaks afterward.

Yes. Van build out runs $5,000 to $80,000 and up. That covers insulation, wall and ceiling paneling, flooring, custom cabinetry and a bed platform, galley with sink and pump, fresh and gray tanks, 12 volt distribution, lithium and inverter systems, solar, a roof fan and windows, and heating. We fabricate cabinetry in house so dimensions actually match the van rather than forcing a kit into it. Electrical labor is $260 per hour and we document every component for your insurer.

Yes, and we usually find the flange rather than the fan. On a steel roof the fan sits in a cut opening on a butyl or sealant bed, and either the opening was not sealed correctly, the roof flexed and broke the bond, or the frame was mounted over ribs without a proper adapter. We pull the unit, clean the flange to bare metal, prime the cut edge to stop corrosion, rebed and reflash it, then water test. Roof vent and fan work runs $250 to $1,200.

That is a common failure on molded high tops and it is structural, not cosmetic. The corner radius takes flex load from the body every mile, so the gelcoat cracks first and then the laminate. We grind the crack out to a V, rebuild the laminate with glass and resin from the back side where access allows, refair the outside, and refinish with a color match into adjacent surfaces. Fiberglass repair runs $750 to $12,000 and we check the mounting flange bond while we are in there.

Yes, and Arctic White is genuinely one of the harder matches, because white ages toward yellow unevenly and the factory finish varies between panels built at different plants. We read the actual panel with a spectrophotometer rather than trusting the paint code alone, spray test panels, and blend into the adjacent panel instead of stopping at a body line. Full refinish runs $5,000 to $30,000 and color match blending on a partial repair runs $500 to $5,000 and up.

Yes, and on a van the design constraints are tighter than on a coach because roof area and cabinet volume are both scarce. A typical build is 400 to 800 watts of panel, a 200 to 400 amp hour lithium bank, a 2,000 to 3,000 watt inverter charger, a DC to DC charger off the alternator, and a properly fused distribution panel. Solar work runs $1,500 to $12,000 and up, batteries $500 to $5,500, inverters $750 to $4,500. Labor is $260 per hour.

That is the most common problem on conversion claims and it is fixable with documentation. We itemize the build as separate components with replacement costs: cabinetry, insulation and paneling, flooring, electrical including inverter, lithium and solar with serial numbers, plumbing and tanks, heater, windows and roof fan, seating and bed platform. Photographs of the finished interior and the builder invoice go in the same package. We cannot promise the outcome, only a file that is hard to overlook.

Yes, and it is a good share of our van work. The recurring problems are undersized wiring and missing fuses, roof penetrations sealed with the wrong product, cabinetry fastened into sheet metal with no backing, plumbing that traps water, and insulation installed in a way that holds condensation against the steel. We inspect and report before we touch anything so you know what is safe and what is not. Electrical corrections are worth doing first, because that is the fire risk.

Yes, all three platforms plus the older Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana. Each has its own quirks. Transit roof ribs sit differently, which changes how a fan or an air conditioner gets mounted. ProMaster has a wider, flatter floor and a front wheel drive layout that changes tank and battery placement. Sprinter has the most aftermarket support and the tallest roof options. Van collision runs $1,500 to $40,000 and up, and build out runs $5,000 to $80,000 and up on any of them.

Roof conversions we do with a manufactured high top designed for your platform, cut, bonded and mechanically fastened, then sealed and refinished. We do not fabricate a one off structural roof from scratch, because a home built roof is both a water problem and a crash safety problem. Wheelchair lifts and ramps, swivel seat bases and floor track systems we do install, with proper structural backing and reinforcement rather than fasteners through bare sheet metal. Fabrication is quoted per job after we see the van.

Usually, and it is worth checking before you have a loss. Many conversions on a cargo title are insured as commercial or personal auto rather than as a motorhome, which changes how the build gets valued and whether contents and appliances are covered at all. If the van is not registered as a house car, ask your agent about a stated value or agreed value endorsement with the build itemized. Bring us the declarations page and we will tell you what the estimate needs to show.

Yes. Truck collision runs $1,500 to $50,000 and up. Cab body repair is $750 to $12,000, box and cargo body repair is $750 to $15,000, and floor repair is $500 to $9,500. We handle rear frame and door post damage, aluminum and FRP side panel replacement, roof repair, rub rail and corner post work, translucent roof panel replacement, and rotted or delaminated floors. Straight trucks up to 26 feet fit inside the building, and the booth takes a full length body.

Yes, and that is regular work here. Decal removal runs $400 to $3,000 per unit depending on age and adhesive, and fleet graphics and wrap runs $1,500 to $9,500. Vinyl baked onto a truck for eight years leaves adhesive and a ghost line, and on painted surfaces it leaves a shadow where the covered paint did not fade. That is why rebranding often means refinishing the panel rather than just re lettering it. Full refinish runs $5,000 to $30,000 per unit.

Yes, and we plan it that way by default. On a typical rebrand we run two units at a time, so you never lose more than 25 percent of an eight truck fleet, and we set the rotation around your delivery calendar rather than ours. Each unit gets a scheduled in and out date, and we hold parts and graphics on the shelf before a truck arrives so it is not sitting in a bay waiting on vinyl. Give us your slow days and we build around them.

Yes. Lift gate installation runs $1,500 to $8,500 depending on unit, capacity and how much frame reinforcement the chassis needs. We handle tuck under, rail and cantilever gates, including structural mounting plates, frame reinforcement where the manufacturer specifies it, hydraulic plumbing, and the electrical side with proper cable sizing, a solenoid and a battery feed that will not cook itself. We also repair existing gates: pumps, cylinders, controls and bent platforms. Mechanical and electrical labor is $260 per hour.

We perform inspection and evaluation work, document condition thoroughly, and handle the repairs an inspection turns up: brakes, lights, air lines, suspension, frame cracks, and door and body condition. Pre purchase and condition inspections run $400 to $1,200. For the federal annual inspection certification itself, use a certified inspector for that program and bring us the defect list. Most fleets we work with do exactly that: inspect elsewhere, repair here, because repair capacity is where the bottleneck actually sits.

That is the highest load and wettest corner on the whole body, so it is the usual failure point. Water gets past the door seal and the rub rail, sits in the sill, and takes out the floor edge, the crossmembers, the corner post and eventually the rear frame. We cut back to sound material, replace crossmembers and sill, rebuild the corner post, replace the floor section and reseal the threshold. Floor repair runs $500 to $9,500 and body repair $750 to $15,000.

Yes. The usual causes are bent or worn track, broken slat hinges, seized rollers, a failed counterbalance spring, or a rear frame tweaked in a dock impact so the opening is no longer square. We measure the opening first, because adjusting a door in an out of square frame is wasted labor. Then we replace slats, hinges, rollers, track and spring as needed and reset the latch and seal. Cargo body work runs $750 to $15,000 depending on how much frame is involved.

Yes. Cab body repair runs $750 to $12,000 and full refinish and repaint runs $5,000 to $30,000. The booth depth that lets us take a 45 foot coach also takes a sleeper cab comfortably, which is why we can spray a full unit in one cycle instead of masking and shooting it in halves. We handle fiberglass hood repair, aluminum and steel cab panels, bumper and fairing work, frame and structural correction, and fleet color matching across units that have aged differently.

We set up fleet accounts with a purchase order workflow, per unit invoicing so each truck cost tracks against your asset records, and a single point of contact for scheduling. Terms are arranged per account rather than posted, so call the shop at (949) 799-3387 and ask for fleet. Deposit structure on large multi unit projects gets negotiated up front instead of applied unit by unit. Card payments over $1,000 carry a 3.5 percent surcharge, so most fleet accounts settle by check or transfer.

Yes, and we do both riveted sheet and post bodies and bonded FRP panel bodies. On a sheet and post body we replace the damaged sheet, the post if it is bent, and the rivets to specification rather than patching over a crease. On a bonded panel body we cut the damaged section, scarf and bond a replacement with the correct structural adhesive and cure time, then refinish. We are set up for certified aluminum and steel welding, which matters because aluminum posts crack rather than bend.

We do the body and structural side: skin and panel damage, insulated panel repair where the foam core is crushed or wet, door frames and hinges, rub rails, corner posts, floors and drain channels, plus full refinish and graphics. Insulated panel damage matters more than it looks, because a crushed core loses R value and a wet core keeps gaining weight. We do not service the reefer unit itself, which belongs at a Thermo King or Carrier dealer. Body repair runs $750 to $15,000.

The building is 35,000 square feet, so realistically we carry several straight trucks in production simultaneously alongside the RV side of the shop, and a 26 foot box truck fits inside without difficulty. Rather than promising a raw unit count, we build fleet projects around a rotation, commonly two units at a time with scheduled in and out dates, so your capacity loss stays predictable. Tell us your fleet size and downtime tolerance and we will write a staged calendar.